Hilton stated on Thursday that it is committing US$50 million over the next five years to support the conversion of around 100 hotels (roughly 20,000 rooms) and further develop its portfolio in Sub-Saharan Africa. The focus will be on its core Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, DoubleTree by Hilton and the recently launched Curio Collection by Hilton.
“The model of converting existing hotels into Hilton branded properties has proved highly successful in a variety of markets and we expect to see great opportunities to convert hotels to Hilton brands through this initiative,” said Patrick Fitzgibbon, Hilton’s senior vice president of development for Europe, Middle East and Africa. “We see huge potential here in key cities and airports, as well as allowing us to develop our offering in resorts and safari lodges.”
Fitzgibbon added that Hilton has already deployed this initiative in the signing of two hotels: its first DoubleTree by Hilton property in Kenya and first hotel in Rwanda. He also said Hilton should be able to announce further additions before the end of this year.